Peas on Earth

Coyote Claus Read by a Ranger

Since it's Christmas Eve, I thought I share this. It's another fun read of a book I illustrated that features my treasured Sonoran Desert flora and fauna in a holiday story that, according to the publisher, "brings the cultural heritage of the Sonoran Desert to life through the familiar genre of Clement C. Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas."

(Clement C. Moore is a distant cousin, BTW. But that's a VERY long story for another time.)

More info about the book here:
https://sunbeltpublications.com/shop/coyote-claus/

The video is here in case the embedded version above is not working:
https://youtu.be/96IMyQDXihU

Best of the season to all my hereditary cancer advocate and genomic and genetic scientist friends and acquaintances.

(Yup, the cartoon is pretty goofy. But did you know that quirky humor can spark curiosity and interest in science?* And there are actual scientific studies to back it up.) 

*“No kidding.” said the whimsical illustrator who spent a good chunk of his decades-long freelance career illustrating scientific concepts for kids' magazines and books.

The Mayflower Story You Don't Know

    It happens at this time every year; a lot of random people on social media suddenly become “experts” about some of my ancestors. Sigh. But here’s a story you probably won’t hear elsewhere…

    This disheveled and despondent-looking Pilgrim is Dorothy (May) Bradford. She’s my first cousin (10x removed). She somehow fell off the Mayflower and drowned while the ship was anchored in the calm waters of what is now known as Cape Cod Bay. Dorothy was only 23 years old. Besides her historically notable husband, she also left behind a toddler, who had been left behind with family in the Netherlands because the voyage was deemed too dangerous.

    Dorothy was the niece of fellow Mayflower passenger William White, my 9th great-grandfather. At the time of Dorothy’s death, she was married to William Bradford, who would later become the governor of the Plymouth colony. 

    Bet you never learned about Dorothy in history class. Nobody ever talks about Dorothy. 

Here are some other Mayflower items related to my ancestry…

-- Less than 40 of the 102 passengers of the Mayflower were actually what we call Pilgrims. And 13 of those Pilgrims were either my ancestors or cousins. (BTW, use of the word “Pilgrim” as applied to Mayflower passengers is attributed to William Bradford. He refers to himself as a pilgrim in a poem he penned.)

-- William White, my 9th great-grandfather, died during the “general sickness” that first winter.  Nearly half of all the other Mayflower passengers died that first winter at Plymouth as well.

-- My 9th great-grandmother, Susanna White, is one of only four women of the Mayflower to survive that first winter. She likely helped prepare the very first Thanksgiving dinner the following year.

-- On November 20th, 1620, while still onboard the Mayflower, Susanna gave birth to Peregrine White, my eighth great-granduncle. He was the first child born to the Pilgrims in the “New World*.”

-- Resolved White, the first-born son of William and Susanna, older brother of Peregrine, and my 8th great-grandfather, was only 5-years-old when he sailed with his parents on the Mayflower.

Some more information about the Mayflower voyage can be found on my website at www.markix.net/mayflower

* I use “New World” with a touch of irony; I also have Native American ancestors. Some of my family was already part of the “New World.” Also, BTW, my family’s role in American History is not limited to the Mayflower. 

My painting is 11” x 15” gouache on illustration board. It was originally intended to be part of a Mayflower book project, but that project was put on hold.

(Genealogy screenshots from WikiTree.com)

With the exception of my Native American heritage for really depressing reasons, my family history is well-documented. I have a boatload of notable genetic relatives. And sadly, Dorothy is not the only tragic historical figure in my family tree. There’s a lot of messy and ugly history among some of the branches.  

Coyote Claus -- BookStop Featured Book 2025

Here’s my other book in this year’s Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ annual showcase. And it’s perfect for this time of year. Being a native denizen of the Sonoran Desert, I really enjoyed illustrating this one. Coyote Claus is a fun holiday book for little readers that also highlights some of the native Sonoran flora and fauna I so love.

Both the author and I donate all royalties from this book to cancer nonprofits. (We both lost people we deeply cared about to cancer.)

Here’s the link:  https://www.scbwi.org/bookstop/book/coyote-claus

National Cat Day & DNA

 

Today is National Cat Day. It’s a great day to celebrate all that deoxyribonucleic acid we share with our feline friends!

More info about the book at www.MendelCat.com.

For kids 6-years and up. (For cats 6-months and up.)

Now Available at SCBWI's BookStop!

  

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators’ annual showcase of books by members is now live. At this time every year, BookStop brings book creators and thousands of book buyers together. My latest book about the tiny thin thread that connects all life is featured at https://www.scbwi.org/bookstop/book/yay-yay-dna-do-you-wonder-what-makes-you-you-with-mendel-g-cat

Yay Yay DNA!

(Sales from the book help me to continue to produce more free materials about hereditary cancer awareness and prevention.)